Xenia
by writerAngel7
Summary: fourth installment of the 'Never Never After' chronicles. read please


A/N: fourth installment

**A/N: fourth installment. Still working at the sequel to 'SA,' so don't think I've randomly just dropped off the face of the world. **

**Shoutout to Jen: I'm SOOOOOOOO sorry I've never been online lately. Good G-d, I feel like a bad friend… I'll try to get on soon, I promise! And yes, you can blame me; I disappeared again after I swore I wouldn't. **

**Disclaimer: don't own anything widely known.**

**XXX**

I sighed as I dropped my keys on the marble doorside table. It had been a long day, Tuesday being my five-course day of the week.

As I slipped off my shoes and shut the front door to the dorm, I heard a rustle and slight sound of motion coming from the bedrooms.

My brow furrowed. Despite the fact that I had the most courses on Tuesdays, the girls usually got back later than I did.

"Grace? Vada? You guys home early?" I called as I wandered down the hall.

There was a rustle again, and this time, I could detect where it was coming from.

Behind my door.

"G? V?" I called again, cautiously this time.

I placed a slightly shaking palm against the door and pushed it open. The sight before me was enough to make my eyes pop out of my head.

Standing next to my desk chair looking extremely nervous and somewhat scared was a raven-haired boy from my past that I'd never expected to see again; in fact, never wanted to see again.

"Out," I seethed, trying my hardest not to let the hot pricks behind my eyes form into tears.

"Xenia, please, I just-"

I shook my head at him, "Get out…"

"Please, will you just-"

"Listen to you?" I asked.

His face lost its defensive expression and he eyed me for a long moment, studying my face, before he nodded just the slightest.

"Give me one good reason why I should listen to what you have to say. One reason," I challenged in monotone.

He didn't drop his head or look away; his gaze locked onto mine while he thought.

"I-It's… important," he finally mustered weakly.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow at him, "What's so important to tell me that you had to come all the way out here?"

He didn't have to speak; his brown eyes drew a blank for him.

"Just go…" I muttered.

"No, really Xeni, i-it's important… to me, at least…"

"Then what makes you think it's important to me?"

"I came all the way out here to tell you it; is that enough?" he shot back, his voice raising for the first time in the conversation.

"I don't have to listen to this, Joe; I don't _have_ to listen to you."

"You should!"

"Really? You never listened to me, Joe; you _never_ listened to me!""

Silence, but his eyes never broke from mine.

After a long moment, he murmured, "I didn't have to…"

Something hit me. The tone behind his voice; it wasn't defensive or smug or righteous. I couldn't detect it… but something was different in it.

"I could see _everything_ you ever wanted to say to me in your eyes, Xeni. You never had to say a word…"

I eyed him cautiously. It had been years since I'd seen him last… well, in person that is. For all I knew, being famous had made him crazy and now he was out to get me for being pissed when he left me behind.

…ok, so that wasn't it; but still, I had a right to be worried. No one had ever said something like that to me before…

It was flattering… sweet… assertively deep.

And that's what pushed me away.

"Joe… just go…" I shook my head, looking away.

I didn't have to see him to know that his face fell and he was looking defeated.

"I haven't even told you-"

"I don't want to hear it, Joe…"

I stepped out of the doorway to my room and looked out into the hallway.

He slowly shuffled past me and only when I heard the click of the front door closing did I fall to my knees on the floor. Though the tears were welling in my eyes, I didn't let them fall.

It was Joe, after all; he wasn't worth it…

**XXX**

**A/N: now I know this chronicle is even **_**more**_** imprecise than the others, but that's because this one was a spur of the moment, get it out before it's gone thing. I took a single phrase that floated in my mind and wrote this based on it. **

**I'm actually started to get an idea right now… review and tell me if anyone would enjoy a challenge where they would write up the past experiences of these girls in my 'Never Never After' chronicles? **

**-Reigh**


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